...an award-nominated Irish blog on Irish history and Irish politics-from today and yesterday:all 32 Counties !Updated a number of times each week . (Mirror site here)

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

THE INEVITABILITY OF SECTARIAN COLLISION ....... GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , the tough-talking Scotsman and self-proclaimed "honest bigot" from the Shankill Road , is a DUP member of both Belfast City Council and the Northern Assembly . He is also the politician most closely associated with the Loyalist paramilitaries .He believes that the rise of Sinn Fein has made an armed confrontation between the forces of Loyalism and Republicanism inevitable . From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , May 1984 .

George Seawright (DUP) sees the Northern Assembly as being kept in existence to play a very different role : " What's going to happen in the future is that Loyalists are going to have to take care of events themselves , and the more areas they take over , the stronger they will be . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - "...take care of events ... take over areas ..." - so Westminster is to be 'obeyed' only when it suits the Loyalists to do so !)

Loyalists have pointed out that if they could ever be in a strong enough position to operate from Stormont , give orders from Stormont , then they would be in a very strong position indeed , the position of a provisional government . The 1980's will see those who desire and believe that they can bring victory about through the democratic process , through standing for election and holding office , exhaust themselves . "

One of the problems of Unionist politicians , George Seawright claims , is that the British government has increasingly seen them as "... a pack of bluffers .. " . He believes , for example , that if the British had called the Unionist bluff in 1912 and made the North go along with Irish Home Rule , the Northern Unionist people would have split : " The hard-line , working-class people would have taken up the gun and fought , but I believe the middle-class and upper-class leadership would probably have defected and taken themselves off .

They were quite happy as long as it was a bluff , as long as it did'nt cost them anything . "

Thus he sees the Unionist political leadership in the 1980's eventually having to face a choice ; they can recognise that "... there is nothing more to be gained through the democratic process to maintain the Protestant position in Northern Ireland (sic) , and bow out . Or they can sit down with the leadership of the entire Loyalist community and say how exactly are we going to react , and what exactly are we going to do .

And , if it's a case of bluffing then that bluff is going to be called and that bluff's going to be defeated ....... ".......

(MORE LATER).

THE IRA HAS TO DO WHAT THE IRA HAS TO DO .......The Sinn Fein electoral wagon is slowing down . As a result , the IRA is likely to begin stepping up its war against the Northern State . GENE KERRIGAN reports from Belfast and also interviews Sinn Fein's DANNY MORRISON on the party's recent successes and failures . From ' MAGILL ' magazine , September 1984.

' MAGILL ' magazine : " The involvement in electoral politics was paralleled by the rise of a new leadership in Sinn Fein : young , leftwing , Northern . While accepting the change , some of the older generations such as Ruairi O Bradaigh and Daithi O Conaill made no secret of their disapproval . Has the election setback affected that division ? "

Danny Morrison : " No . I mean nobody is questioning the correctness of the electoral intervention . We did'nt improve on our percentage share of the vote - that has'nt added grist to the mill , that has'nt strengthened a non-existent opposition to the policy of the Movement - it just does'nt exist . ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - ....a few years after those comments , when opposition started to be expressed in a louder voice , those 'voices' were 'side-lined' and 'new members' [ie 'paper- Cumann'] were introduced to 'fill the gap' in the organisations structure.]

And therefore , nobody suspects that myself or Gerry Adams or Martin Mcguinness or any of these people who have a public profile , there's no room for doubt for one minute exactly what we believe in . ( '1169 ... ' Comment - ...true enough ; " No room for doubt... " at all !) So there's no fears there . Daithi O Conaill was never opposed to electoral politics , so there would be no contradiction , there woud be no argument between us . " ( ' 1169... ' Comment - Did Daithi agree with taking seats in Leinster House ? Or Stormont ? Daithi O Conaill's intention was to 'break the connection with England' , NOT enforce its 'writ' in this country .)

(MORE LATER).

THE INTERROGATION OF STEPHEN MOORE ....... .On 11 July 1986 , Stephen Moore , from Clones in County Monaghan , accepted £25,000 plus costs to settle an action out of court . He had sued 'Ireland' and the Attorney General for injuries he had received in garda custody in Monaghan Garda Station in March 1983 . In that same year , John Milne received £51,900 for injuries sustained at the hands of two named gardai in that same garda station . He was also awarded costs .Despite the fact that more than £75,000 has been paid out as a result of garda activity in Monaghan Garda Station , no garda has been charged with a criminal offence . In fact , some of the gardai who were accused have been promoted .

On the 12 March 1983 , the Gardai entered the home of the Moore family in Clones in County Monaghan ; they had a search warrant ; one of 2,500 search warrants that were issued that year , yet charges resulted in only ten per cent of cases .

On their way out of the Moore house , the gardai arrested Stephen Moore under 'Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act 1939' : - 2,234 people were arrested under the Act that year and prosecutions resulted in 15 per cent of cases .

Nothing was found as a result of that search warrant and no charges would be preferred as a result of the arrest ; what Stephen Moore did not know at this point was that a Post Office van had been hi-jacked in the North that morning between the time he had been in Clones and the time his parents left to do the shopping . He was taken to Clones Garda Station ; there were four garda in the car and he sat between the two in the back .

One of the gardai in the back of the car said to him - " How do you feel now , Stephen ? " In Clones Garda Station , his hair was combed and the combings put into a plastic bag . He was'nt brought anywhere . He was kept at the reception area for about half an hour . During that time he heard shouting and screaming in the garda Station . Then the gardai decided to bring him somewhere else . In his own words , this is his description of what happened ( Note - The gardai , in their defence , denied his charges and the award of £25,000 was made without admission of liability ) .......